Foreign students
report racism
Foreign student arrivals drop by nearly two-thirds, here's why. The Age.
Jun 16, 2005
INTERNATIONAL students studying at Australian universities are suffering from "alarming levels" of discrimination, isolation and financial pressure, according to research.
A Monash University study has found that half the international students interviewed had suffered from discrimination or bad treatment; 57 per cent of female students reported discrimination.
One in 10 said they felt unsafe in Australia. Racism was most likely to occur at work or when students were seeking somewhere to live, the research found.
"I wear my headscarf back in Brunei," one Muslim student said in her interview. But in Australia, "everybody was staring at me. I wore that headscarf for three days, and then I started telling myself that it's not safe. I decided not to wear it."
The study, whose full results are revealed by The Age, was conducted by the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements.
It interviewed more than 200 students from 34 countries. Principal researcher Simon Marginson said the finding of students feeling unsafe was striking, and showed Australia had "a way to go" in providing a welcoming atmosphere for international students.
Professor Marginson said safety and security were key factors in student choice about where to study. And with a slowing international student market, he cautioned that the findings should be "ringing alarm
bells".
Almost two-thirds of students reported feeling isolation and loneliness, with females and those in regional cities more likely to suffer.
More than two-thirds work or have worked here, with 35 per cent
reporting financial difficulties.
RMIT vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner said similar surveys by RMIT found a sense of belonging and support were key issues for international students.
Professor Gardner said universities had made many improvements in helping international students in their transition to studying in Australia and realise more needs to be done.
The findings coincide with a new report to the Federal Government urging an overhaul of the regulations covering international students.
The report expresses concerns about students' pastoral care. It identifies home stays, financial hardship, mental illness, unlawful activities and visa breaches as areas of concern.
Student care "is emerging as an area of considerable risk to not only the wellbeing of students . . . but also to Australia's reputation as a destination for overseas students", it says.
Growth in the international market has continued to slide. The number of international students starting study in Australia is down by almost two-thirds so far this year on last year.
Too high fees
Monash University vice-chancellor Richard Larkins said Australia was "in danger of losing the race" for international students as universities in neighbouring South-East and Northern Asian became more competitive.
He warned that overreliance on revenue from overseas students could cause fee rises that would deter students from studying in Australia.
"We're probably getting very much in danger of pricing ourselves out
of the market," he said.
The Age
Oh definitely!Originally posted by suntze:The same question can be asked for holidays down under; it is not cheap and to me, it's a pretty boring place.
Points to note:Originally posted by suntze:It is not true that education in Oz is cheaper, see following comparison extracted from this link. http://www.edwiseinternational.com/sitehtm/faqs_aus.htm
US, for eg. is far more cosmopolitan and accepting of foreign students.
Holiday in Oz is real boring, even in Sydney; as for Perth, don't even bother to go there.
Share with us your experiences.Originally posted by suntze:Apart from cost, the quality of education in the US is significantly higher, esp if you have the $$ to send your children to private universities such as Stanford or UCLA.
i thought UCLA was public?Originally posted by suntze:Apart from cost, the quality of education in the US is significantly higher, esp if you have the $$ to send your children to private universities such as Stanford or UCLA. During summer, tour the national parks, hollywood, LV, etc.![]()
Many a time, i feel like telling those PRC nationals to do the same, especially when they are talking really loudly in some unknown dialect.Originally posted by Meia Gisborn:Some years ago, when I was pursuing a postgrad degree at a major midwestern university in the US, some American friends and I were having dinner at a restaurant frequented by students from the university.
A few tables from us was a sizable group of Malaysian students who were chatting rather loudy in Hokkien (or some other Chinese dialect--I can't recall).
This seemed to irritate a small group of American students who were seated at an adjacent table, as one of them turned to face the Malaysians and remarked curtly, "This is the US. We speak English here." The Malaysians looked profoundly embarrassed and, after a moment of silence, resumed their conversations at a more reasonable volume in English.
Could this incident be construed as an instance of racism? I don't think so. In my opinion, foreign students are guests of the host county and should make reasonable efforts to observe and respect the prevailing social and cultural norms. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the instances of "racism" reported in the Monash University study were the result of foreign students not being able to (or not wanting to) adapt to local customs.
You all know the old adage: When in Rome...
MG
I guess you have a flat nose to match that skin colour too, am I right?Originally posted by Lingos:Yeah i'm getting beaten up here all day because of the flipping colour of my skin.
I do not hor.. it is in fact a really cute nose.Originally posted by iveco:I guess you have a flat nose to match that skin colour too, am I right?![]()
What about Coolger? Her nose like katie Leung's one rite?Originally posted by Lingos:I do not hor.. it is in fact a really cute nose.
Pls hor.. stick to the topic on hand.Originally posted by iveco:What about Coolger? Her nose like katie Leung's one rite?
Overseas doesn't mean the great US. Go migrate to China la.Originally posted by Lingos:Pls hor.. stick to the topic on hand.
Some more racism propaganda to try to stop singaporeans from migrating overseas.